While asking the authorities concerned to give preference to those who come to vaccination centres for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath on Wednesday said that information about availability of vaccine should be given to people early and they should not be made to wait for long outside vaccination centres.
Expressing anguish over people waiting outside the AYUSH Block of the Government Wenlock Hospital since 8 a.m., Mr. Kamath said,
“Do not make them wait till 1 p.m. and then say vaccine is not available. There should be a better system of managing people visiting the centre when vaccine supply is limited,” he said.
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Mr. Kamath said that apart from those aged 45 and above who have registered online for their second dose, preference should also be given to those in that age category who come directly to the health centres. If vaccine is available then it can be administered to those who have come to receive their first dose, he said.
Later, in a meeting with doctors at the Wenlock Hospital, Mr. Kamath expressed the need for proper use of COVID-19 testing facility at the hospital to ensure reports are available within 24 hours.
He also said that a help desk should be set up at the hospital to provide information to family members of COVID-19 patients admitted there.
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There should not be any shortage of staff in dedicated COVID-19 hospital. Bodies of patients who die should be immediately disposed of.
If family members do not come forward to perform the last rites, arrangements should be made to perform them using the services of social activists, he said.
Mr. Kamath was accompanied by Mayor Premanand Shetty and Chairman of Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation Nitin Kumar.